Complete information about visiting Petersburg National Battlefield is now on National Park Planner!
Petersburg National Battlefield in Petersburg, Virginia, preserves areas central to Union general Ulysses S. Grant’s military campaign in the summer of 1864 through the spring of 1865 against Confederate general Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. After a failed four-day attack on the city from June 15-18, 1964, Grant knew that continuing a frontal assault against heavily defended Confederate fortifications was just going to end in a blood bath, so he instead decided to cut off Petersburg’s supply lines from the south. To do so, the Union army gradually worked its way west, south of the city, capturing major roads and railroads along the way.
Petersburg National Battlefield consists of four units. The Eastern Front Unit is where the major fighting began. The park’s main visitor center, the Eastern Front Visitor Center, is located here, and there is an eight-stop tour of the battlefield. There are also plenty of trails in the area that are open to hikers, bikers, and horseback riders.
The Western Front Unit of Petersburg National Battlefield preserves a few areas where fighting took place south and southwest of the city over the following nine months. The unit consists of a four-stop driving tour, with one stop being the Poplar Grove National Cemetery. There are no hiking trails or other attractions.
The Five Forks Battlefield unit is where the decisive battle of the Petersburg campaign took place. The Union victory sparked the end of the siege and Lee’s retreat from the city. Five points of interest are covered on a driving tour of the battlefield, and hikers, bikers, and horseback riders have another system of trails to explore.
Grant’s Headquarters, located at City Point seven miles northeast of the Eastern Front Visitor Center on the former plantation of Richard Epps, is where Grant set up his headquarters and built a massive supply depot. The Epps home and the cabin where Grant actually stayed are open to visitors on summer weekends, but the grounds are open year-round.
POPLAR GROVE NATIONAL CEMETERY
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